sprocket003,
It has happened many times in history that one country has taken over
another. When they do this, the conquering country brings in lots of
soldiers with weapons. Frequently they will throw out -- or just kill,
sometimes very publicly -- anyone who previously held public office.
They will then fill the empty positions with their own people. The new
people in charge will make new laws. Often these new laws say that it
is illegal to criticize the new government, and anyone who does
criticize the new government can be subjected to:
- loss of their job
- confiscation of all their money
- confiscation of all their property
- being thrown in prison
- being killed
- having their families thrown in prison
- having their families killed
Now, if you were an Austrian, and you didn't like the horrible things
that were being done to the Jews, but you knew that any or ALL of the
above things would happen to you if you spoke up against the German
government, what would you do?
Many Austrians were NOT supportive of Nazism, or of the actions being
taken by the Nazis. Just because they did not speak up, it did not
mean they agreed with or supported what the Nazis were doing. Many
Austrians escaped -- or died trying to escape -- from the home country
they loved very much, simply because they did not agree with or
support what the Nazis were doing. Many others could not escape, and
were forced to try to survive as best they could. Many Austrians
secretly helped Jews to hide or escape. Many of those were killed for
doing so.
Unfortunately, in real life, things are seldom black and white. Almost
always, instead, there are many different shades of gray. Should these
people have spoken up, even if they knew that by doing so they would
get themselves and their loved ones killed? That is a question that
has been debated for decades, and will continue to be debated for
decades more.
If we don't have to live their lives, and we are not faced with their
choices, it is very difficult for us to be able to say whether what
other people have done is right or wrong. Learning to understand that
there are always shades of gray -- that things are seldom as simple as
they seem -- is the first step toward making sure that something like
the Holocaust NEVER happens again.
I strongly encourage you to explore the website "Rescuers of the
Holocaust"
http://www.internoded.com/choosing/rescue.html
and read the stories of people who did indeed try to fight back and
help the Jews. In addition, if you put "Rescuers of the Holocaust"
into Google Search engine, it will put up dozens of sites with related
stories.
I hope that this information has helped you a little in the
understanding that you seek.
Regards,
aceresearcher |
